[Split x Spirit] Blending In [FINISHED]

[NatiStorm]

((Edit: Claimed for hunting stats week of 4/25 by Nati and Luna))

As the snow continued to lightly fall, Split's perky ear twitched in annoyance. Leaf bare was by far his least favorite season. With all this snow, his fur rarely was fully dry and he hated his belly and paws always being wet. Even without the snow, the ground was either slick with mud or frozen and hard. Yes, leaf bare was the worst season and today's weather had Split in a foul mood.

With a sigh that left a cloud in front of his face, Split picked up what was left of the mouse he'd caught and headed back to his temporary tree den. The weather wasn't the only reason that Split hated leaf bare. Hunting was also much more difficult and Split always spent most of leaf bare feeling hungry. He had grown up alone in the woods and was used to hunting for himself during leaf bare but every year he cursed his fur. The snow was so bright and rarely left enough shadows for him to hide in. Crossing the snow, he stuck out like a full moon in a starless sky.

Split's tail lashed from side to side as he walked slowly through the lightly falling snow, stopping every now and then to shake a wet paw. He was almost back to his tree den when he caught the scent of another cat. The moment he caught the scent, he dropped his mouse remains and narrowed his eyes as his fur raised. Checking the scent again, more closely, he realized it was the smell of only one cat, not of many like clan cats smelled. Curious about the smell, Split soothed his fur and scanned the barren forest around him. He saw no one.

"Who's there?" It was more of a statement than a question, though his curiosity could be heard in his tone.

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[Fea Line]

It had been getting harder since Ghost had disappeared. She was never gone this long and Spirit knew something had probably happened to her. What, though, she couldn't say and could only hope and wish that the elder she cat would return.

Spirit had been doing her best to stay warm and fed. She had met a couple other cats along the way but they seemed already a tight duo and eventually went their separate ways, leaving the frail white she cat to wonder if she'd see them again either. Her little half log of a den kept the snow off her but not so much the cold, nor did it bring her food and her gnawing belly drew her out in attempt to hopefully catch something. She had never been as good at hunting as Ghost was. Leaf bear also did not help.

So out she went, doing her best to track and find but ending up empty pawed. She had come quite a ways and was about to head back when a voice called out. Dropping into the snow, Spirit sat with wide eyes, a thin white loaf among the cold snow, her pink nose and eyes the only thing betraying her. When a darker cat shaped figure came slowly into view, her ears perked and she raised her head slightly enough to call back. "H-...Hello?" before scrunching herself back down into the snow again.

Natitsuri

 

[NatiStorm]

There was a brief moment where Split thought it possible that he was smelling cat's that weren't there. His eyes scanned the area and his ears strained but he saw no signs of another cat. Then he heard her. The voice that greeted his was soft but was definitely there. Again he looked around and again he found nothing but snow. His tail lashed behind him. Surely he wasn't going blind... right?

"I mean you no harm. Show yourself." Split replied to the voice among the snow, trying to keep his tone from sounding to accusatory or demanding but not doing a great job. He wanted to add 'unless you are a clan cat' but thought better of it. The scent didn't smell like a clan cat and if the she cat did belong to a clan, she had been away for a long time. Was it possible there were more loners? With the clans growing, was it possible the number of cats without clans was going as well? As Split opened his mouth to smell the air again, he was left with a general area that the she cat might be in, but was still without visual conformation.

How was it that this cat could hide from him so well? Envy washed over him. If only he could hide like this. Catching prey would be so much easier if only he could hide so well. Maybe if this wasn't a clan cat, she wouldn't mind giving him some hiding pointers? Split continued to survey the area, anxious to find out.

Fea Line

 

[Fea Line]

She had remained ever so still as he came closer, trembling slightly in the snow. Her sister's words rang over and over and over in her mind. 'Not all cats friendly.' she inwardly chanted to herself. Though he seemed to speak no ill will she had learned that words didn't always mean the same actions. Still, she was tired, cold and hungry and a friend was a very welcome change right now.

Blinking a few times she finally rose to her paws out of her snow loaf pose however still keeping herself slightly lowered. "I'm ...here! I don't mean trouble..." she added, hoping that would reassure both of them and nothing foul had to happen. She raised a paw and took a very short small single step towards him as if to test the waters before stopping again. She sat down, tail curled close to her legs, glancing up at him then back down at her paws again. "S-sorry, if I'm in your space. I can leave."

Fea Line

 

[NatiStorm]

It was almost eerie how perfectly white the she cats fur was. Her eyes were a color he'd never seen before and he couldn't help but stare at them for a moment. No wonder she could hide so easily, her coat was the opposite of his.Even her eyes and nose were light. Split assumed her to be a great hunter in all of this snow before he actually looked at her and noticed just how thin and weak she looked.

"You don't smell like a clan cat." Split said bluntly, ignoring her apology. Looking her over once more, he let out a huff and slight roll of his eyes. Was it the sickly way she looked, her fascinating coat, or possibly his own loneliness that was causing him to act? He couldn't tell, all he knew was that this new cat didn't seem like a threat but instead a cat in need. "Leafbare is hard for those of us on our own. Come, my den is not far from here."

Ugh. It was hard enough for him to survive on his own, so why was he inviting this cat back to share his den? As he turned from her to pick up his mouse, he wrinkled his nose. 'Because I'm better than clan cats. I'm not going to let another cat starve, regardless of their age.' he thought to himself but he knew it was more than that. He let out another huff as grabbed his leftovers and continued on to his current home.

He didn't turn back to see if she had followed. If she followed him back to his temporary tree den, he'd make sure she survived the cold season, if not, well then that was her choice and out of his paws.

Fea Line

 

[Fea Line]

For a moment she had wondered if it had been a good idea to reveal herself. He didn't seem that friendly, almost as if he'd take her head off for one wrong word. His first statement felt like a confirmation of that.

'You don't smell like a clan cat.'

She only knew about them because of Tailchaser, he told her stories of the clan he was a part of after he had escaped being a kitty pet. He had asked her to join once but she declined. She couldn't do anything without her Sister, at least not until Ghost came back. Spirit had a feeling Ghost wouldn't like these clan cats anyways. Oh how she wished she'd come back...

Then he offered to let her stay with him and she looked up in surprise. "Oh...really?" she had started to ask when he picked up his mouse then began to walk off. Tilting her head in confusion, Spirit lingered a few seconds before darting after him, white paws falling into the prints he left in his wake. Oh Ghost would be soooo mad at her if the other she cat were here to see this. But she wasn't....and Spirit was cold, hungry and lonely...and well...here was an opportunity being offered to her. She couldn't refuse it.

Following after him, she kept her head low, ears back, hoping to show she was no threat to him. He'd be able to take her out by just blinking, she knew that much. But curiosity bit at her as she looked at his unique coat and dual toned eyes. She hadn't ever met a cat like him before and it fascinated her. "I'm....... My name is... Spirit..." she said softly, shyly, hoping to test the waters.

Natitsuri

 

[NatiStorm]

After a few steps, Split heard the faint sound of pawsteps behind him and knew the she cat was following. Knowing that he had company, he slowed his pace to make it easier for the new cat to keep up with him. He turned his head and perky ear towards Spirit to hear her as she spoke and gave a nod at her introduction. Split really wasn't one to talk with his mouthful so he just kept walking in silence.

They hadn't gone far before they reach his current residency. It was a small rock outcropping that had a decent sized hole to one side.The floor of the den was littered with leaves and moss that he had dragged in during leaf fall. For the most part his small den was sheltered from the cold but occasionally when the wind blew a few snowflakes would drift in. Finally home, Split sat the remains of his kill down and looked to white she cat.

"My name is Split. Here," He looked from her to the mouse and back. "Eat this. It's not much but every bite helps."

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[Fea Line]

Spirit followed mostly in silence after that, keeping low, head down and tail curled around her body for any kind of extra warmth she could take. Each step made her even more cold. When they came to his den, she eyed it, already feeling like it was probably a lot warmer than hers, since hers opened right into the elements. Timidly she leaned forward to sniff it when he spoke again.

She flattened down to the ground as if she had been scolded, and slowly turned to look at him, then the mouse. "Really?" she blinked, confused. "But... then what will you eat? I can't possibly take your food...its not fair." she mrrowed softly, shifting into a tight, skinny loaf pose, eyeing the mouse hungrily but ashamed. Why couldn't she be strong like her sister or like Split and able to do thins for her self?

She bit back a hiss. "Split is a lovely name. It suits you." she attempted a soft kind purr though the smell of what remained of the mouse was a constant temptation and she finally gave in, slinking slowly forward and letting herself take a small bite as her stomach rumbled.

Natitsuri

 

[NatiStorm]

Split rolled his eyes at her comment. "Yeah, no kidding?" He mewed sarcastically. To him, there was nothing lovely about his name or what implied. His name was just a word that summed up his appearance and he hated it, along with his coat. Why couldn't he have a solid pelt like Spirit? With a soft sigh of exasperation he turned to the she cat.

"I already ate part of it and I know where I can find more." Split nodded in encouragement to the skinny white cat. Though his belly wasn't full, he could tell that Spirit needed the food more than he did. She was so thin! Yeah, it was leaf bare and food was scarce but how had she managed to get that thin?

Something about the frailty of this new cat pulled at Split's heart. He knew the clans wouldn't help her, they'd only chase her off. Thus he was probably the only help this she cat was going to get. How long had she been alone out there? As long as he had been?

"I haven't seen you in the forest before. Where are you from Spirit?" He asked after a long silence while Spirit picked at the mouse.

Fea Line

 

[Fea Line]

If there was any sort of sarcasm or grump behind his first statement, she was too blind to catch it. Or possibly also just too tired and pretty much already obsessed with his kindness.

As for the rest of it she about wiggled when he confirmed she could eat and dug in, taking a juicy bite. The blood stained the fur around her lips red momentarily but she licked it off quickly and rather ravenously. It had been several days since she had managed to eat something this close to fresh. The last she had found was an already picked from mouse and dried remains.

"Oh....um...." she blinked, embarrassed. "I'm not from around here. Me and my sister were...trying to find a better home...but two leg catchers got her. I ran... without really knowing where I was going." she said, disappointed and now double embarrassed at herself. Her head hung low and she now couldn't bare to meet his gaze. "I don't...know what to do without her."

Natitsuri

 

[NatiStorm]

In all his time around other cats, he'd never seen one eat the last half of a mouse with such gusto. Just how long had it been since she had eaten? As a loner, Split knew just how hard it could be to find prey in leafbare when all a cat had was ones own skills. It was a wonder that Spirit was still alive out here if she wasn't used to living alone during this season.

Her story pulled at his heart. She was lost, with little skill, all alone, and so frail. Ugh, dang it! Split's tail lash side to side in annoyance as he looked away from Spirit and instead looked out into the snow. Why did he have to find her now, things were already hard enough... But there was no choice, he was going to take her in. There was no way he would condemn her to whatever fate awaited her back in the snow. This leafbare just got a whole lot harder, but what else could he do?

Suppressing his aggravation, he looked back to his new temporary den-mate and sighed.

"It can be hard out here, alone." He said as he moved closer to her, his tone a bit softer than before. "For the time being, you can stay here, with me." Split sat down next to her, and beckoned her closer with a flick of his tail.

"There will be times where I will be gone for several days, that's just the way it is hunting prey in leafbare, but you are welcome to keep this den while I'm gone, and I promise to bring you something to eat every time I return." He felt he didn't need to add that she wouldn't be of help while hunting and it would be best for her to stay behind.

Fea Line

 

[Fea Line]

Spirit felt her fur prickle when he got near her, but not in a bad way. It was similar to when Ghost sat close to keep her warm but he smelled.... different. Not only that he also just... felt different. Warmer some how. She had never had any interactions with cats that were nice so she was an honest stranger to affection apart from her sisterly bond. It scared her but at the same time she already craved more.

"You... would really let me? That's so nice of you." she breathed, watching her breath float away as a cold cloud before her. "I don't know if I'll ever see my sister again. She's escaped two legs before but she's never been gone this long." she sunk again, glancing over towards the den he mentioned, grateful to get out of the snow even if it may only be for a day or so.

"I wish I could help you hunt but I know.... It's not hard to tell by looking at me." she offered a weak smile and an even weaker purr. Ghost always did the hunting but the thought of always being useless drove her mad... so Spirit had come to accept her lack of worth. "If I can make it up to you in any other way?" she offered, though she honestly didn't know how she could even do that right now.

Natitsuri

 

[NatiStorm]

Did she just call him nice? Ha, that's a first...Split was never nice, he made a point of it... Wait, was he being nice? His black and silver stripped tail lashed behind him in the snow as he huffed another aggravated breath. No, he wasn't being nice, he was just doing the bare minimum to not let another loner die, that's all.

"Don't get used to it, I'm not known for being nice." He looked away from her at that. It was true, he really wasn't nice. There were many cats in the forest who knew first hand just how 'unfriendly' he could be. So why now? ...She was just so frail... and it's so cold and wet out in the snow. Perhaps maybe it was just his loneliness. With a sigh, he looked back to her.

"It's just obvious you are in need, so I'll help. This isn't a permanent situation though. Hopefully when the weather is better, your sister will come looking for you." It was doubtful but hey, even he could hope. "For now, don't worry about the hunting, I'll take care of that." It was obvious he'd have to, Spirit was in no shape to hunt, regardless of how well her pelt helped her blend in to the leafbare landscape.

He trotted into his makeshift den, shaking the snow out of his fur as he did so, and sat down at the very back. It was the warmest part of his nest but wasn't really constructed for two. Split sat pressing into the rock to shield his she-cat companion from the chill of it. There had never been another cat in his den before and it felt strange. "Right now, let's just focus on warming you up. Come here." It was less of a command and more of a suggestion, his tone softening. Once again, he beckoned her over with his tail. "We'll see about you making it up to me later."

Fea Line

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